Some patrons of arcades in Anchorage, Alaska, claim that some of them are actually illegal gambling sites. Alaska’s News Source, alerted by some viewers, began an investigation.
The allegations of gambling had created a buzz on social media, with one viewer writing Alaska’s News Source, “I myself attempted to go in the place thinking it was a legitimate arcade. Man what a shock.”
Most forms of gambling are illegal in the Last Frontier, except charitable gaming, pull-tabs and bingo. The law states that gambling exists when “a person stakes or risks something of value upon the outcome of a contest of chance.”
One patron reportedly started with $20 and grew it to $1,400, but then told the news outlet, “It’s a vicious cycle that more and more people are getting into and I showed a few of my friends, and I regret it.” He continued, “I’ve recently been trying to avoid it, just because it’s a toxic environment.”
The news group sent into an undercover reporter wearing a hidden camera, who gained entrance through several locked doors. He found that players have to earn $80 of points to be paid cash for their winnings, which was called a “refund,” by the operator.
He entered another operation where the windows and exits had black garbage bag material blocking out the light. He played the machines and watched others play the machines, with winners collecting cash.
Alaska law doesn’t consider traditional arcade games “gambling” but they are only legal if the device, “confers only an immediate right of replay, not exchangeable for something of value,” or “confers only tickets, credits, allowances, tokens, or anything of value that can be redeemed for toys, candy, or electronic novelties.”
Clearly these arcade games didn’t fit into that definition. One player observed, “I think the police are either too stupid to know or just don’t care.”
The reporter contacted the Anchorage Police Department, which gave this comment, “The Anchorage Police Department takes illegal gambling seriously, however we focus our limited investigative resources on the most serious crimes of this nature.”
